HSMP Alumni Group Mentoring Program

The Health Sector Management Alumni Mentorship program was developed in the fall of 2011 in response both to the alumni board’s interest in further connecting with students and to feedback from a broad alumni survey indicating that graduates were interested in structured mentorship opportunities. The program was developed as a group mentoring model pairing a single alumnus with several students to facilitate mutual learning and maximize the alumni-matching process.

The program spans six months, from October through April of each academic year. Students and mentors are matched based on career interests, dual-degree status, and students’ specific areas of desired learning. Students and mentors coordinate their own schedules with the expectation that the groups will meet once a month over the six-month period.

This month, we are collecting mid-point feedback from student and mentors that will be used to further develop and improve the program. Thus far, we have received very positive comments from students. Below are examples from two students. The first is a “career switcher” and thus highly eager to have the opportunity to develop a relationship with someone in the health sector field:

“It has been invaluable to be in contact with a professional who has been through the same program I am in now, especially as a PEMBA and career switcher. My mentor has been really great at connecting me with other alumni and has opened me up to a number of career options.”

Another student explains,

“I’ve been able to bring what I’ve learned to the classroom, and ask questions of my mentor about how the concepts I am learning apply in the ‘real world.’ I have found that my classmates in other disciplines—finance, for example—are jealous of the alumni mentorship opportunity I have had.”

Program Overview:

Number of students in the program: 29

Number of alumni mentors: 10

Alumni class years represented: 1995- 2011

Health sector fields represented and number of participating alumni in each field: